


Something about Crows and Feathers

by HexalianRebel_FeatheredPanda



Series: Rough Crows Have Soft Feathers [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Rough Crows Have Soft Feathers, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 18:20:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19011292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HexalianRebel_FeatheredPanda/pseuds/HexalianRebel_FeatheredPanda
Summary: *Originally written in 2016





	Something about Crows and Feathers

It seems a little cliché, but I have to say: the whole thing started with a touch.

I’m not going to pretend like I know why it happened; it had never occurred to me before, but when everyone was in the club room changing into their gym clothes, I noticed the way Asahi’s ribcage kind of stuck out when he was lifting his shirt over his head. It reminded me of some fond memories I had with Tsukki from when we were younger; I used to drag him out with me when I went to the community pool.

I guess I was acting on those memories when I poked one of the spaces between the tall third-year’s ribs.

Asahi let out a squeaky yelp and flinched. “H-Hey, don’t!” He snickered, his arm coming back down to cover that spot. “Oh, Tadashi?” He seemed more surprised that it was me who poked him than the fact that I had poked him at all. He glanced over his shoulder to where Nishinoya was talking to Sugawara.

“Heh. Sorry.” I said lightly, giving him another swift poke. “Ticklish?”

He twitched away from me again, stifling a giggle and rolling his eyes. “Maybe a little.” He answered.

I goosed his side one last time before he put some notable distance between us, still taking less than subtle glances over at the others. I couldn’t help snickering.

“Yeah, yeah; very funny.” Asahi chuckled, a goodhearted grin on his face. He pat my shoulder lightly. “Knock it off, you little punk.”

I smiled and nodded, busying my hands by folding my shirt. “Okay, fine.”

“Hurry up, you guys!” Daichi called, leaning into the doorway and hooking his thumb over his shoulder.

“See you two slowpokes out there!” Nishinoya laughed lightly, clapping a hand on Asahi’s back. I yelped and flinched when I felt something trace up my spine. By the time I turned, everyone else was gone, except for Asahi, whose hands were trapped in his shirt while he scrambled to put it on. I decided not to say anything, but my face felt a bit heated.

+++++++++++++++++++

I thought that’d be it. Imagine my surprise later when Hinata came practically sprinting up to me and Tsukki while were leaving the gym.

“Are you two coming to Suga’s place this weekend?” he asked brightly, bouncing on his toes.

“Can’t.” Kei huffed as he walked toward the club room.

“His brother is coming home on Friday; his mom wants him home.” I explained when Shoyo pouted. I stopped beside him. “What’s going on at Sugawara’s house?”

“You don’t know?” he seemed a bit surprised at the fact. “It’s like a sleepover. We get together and hang out for the weekend. It’s a team bonding thing.” He turned, catching sight of the outdoor clock. “Ack, I have to get going; you should think about coming, Yamaguchi! It’ll be fun, I promise!” He started back toward the club room, and I followed at a distance, thinking over the proposal.

After changing and pulling my coat on, I grabbed my backpack off the shelf.

“Come on, Yamaguchi.” Tsukki called, tapping his foot.

“Tsukki, relax; I’m coming.” I called back, chuckling and lifting the strap over my shoulder. I bumped into Asahi as I tried to move past him. “S-Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He smiled, putting on his own backpack. I turned away from him and immediately yelped at a poke to my side. “Heh. I’m sorry too.”

I glared at him, but I must not have looked too threatening, because he pat my shoulder.

“Um, hey.” I called after him. I’ll admit I’m not sure why.

“Something wrong?”

“No, I was, uh; I was wondering if you knew about the sleepover thing at Suga’s house.”

“Hm? Of course I do. Were you thinking about going?” He smiled brightly. “I’ve never seen you there; it’d be great if you did.”

I nodded, smiling a bit myself. “Should I let him know?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it; I’ll tell him. I can take you to his house after school Friday if you want. It’s kind of tough to find.”

I blushed slightly, blinking. “Oh! W-Well, thanks. I really appreciate it.”

“Make sure you pack for the weekend when it comes around. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I waved after him as he left, stepping out to face Tsukki’s impatient glare.

“When did you become so talkative with other people?” He teased with a grin, slapping my shoulder lightly. I think he was proud of me.

+++++++++++++++++++

When Friday rolled around, I went home to change into more comfortable clothes and put my school bag away. I grabbed some last minute items to throw into my duffel bag while I ran out of the house and went to meet Asahi at the bus stop at the end of my neighborhood.

“Hey, you made it!” He said cheerfully as I stood panting beside him.

“D-Did I miss the bus?” I asked worriedly.

“Not at all.” He grinned, pointing down the street. “Here it comes now.”

After finding seats on the city bus, I tried to make conversation again. “So, um, you guys have these sleepovers often?”

“Oh, every weekend we can. Suga’s parents aren’t around much; they’re both really busy. He always has the house to himself. This year’s been a little funny, since it’s hard to get 12 people together all at once, but it’s been pretty great overall.”

“What’s it usually like?”

His face turned a bit red, but he chuckled. “With Tanaka and Noya there, plus Hinata this year? What do you think?”

I laughed a bit. It had to be crazy with all three of them packed together, especially the way Hinata fed off the second years’ energy.

“Hey…” I murmured again when the bus ride was taking longer than I’d expected. “You said this year has been funny earlier. How long has this been going on? Years-wise, I mean.”

“I wouldn’t know, honestly.” Asahi shrugged with a yawn. “Our captain before Daichi was going on about how it was tradition even when he was a first-year. It was a pretty fun tradition, so we decided to keep it up. I’m sure the second-years are going to be handling it when we’re gone too…”

He was staring down at my bag. I didn’t even realize that my hands were messing with the strap on my bag.

“Are you nervous?”

I flinched slightly. “M-Maybe a little…” It was a bit weird being with the rest of the team without Kei around.

“I’ll be honest: my first time spending the weekend with everyone was kind of scary for me too. You kind of just have to try not to worry. Nothing bad is going to happen to you; I can attest to that.”

I smiled slightly, looking up at him. The team’s ace was pretty reliable when it came to being gentle, but direct at the same time.

“Our stop’s coming up; look lively, Tadashi.”

I blinked at the sudden use of my first name, and my cheeks turned a bit red again when he picked up my duffel bag for me along with his own. “H-Hey, slow down.” I called as he hurried to stand beside the doors when the bus slowed to a stop.

I followed closely beside him as we walked to Suga’s house from the bus stop. The neighborhood was pretty quiet, though there were some kids playing at a park at the far end of the street. The sun was nearly setting; it’d probably be dinner time soon. Asahi hopped up onto the porch and knocked while I simply stood quietly.

Suga opened the door almost immediately. “Asahi! Finally; everyone’s getting restless. Why do you have two—” He looked over Asahi’s shoulder, noticing me. “Yamaguchi! You’re here!” He reached out, and I stepped forward so he could pull me into a one-armed hug. He was wearing a nebula-colored hoodie over his pajamas that was swallowing him alive, and his feet were covered by what looked like grey boots. “It’s good to see you! I was starting to think you’d never come over.”

“Hey, you let him go.” I looked into the house to see Daichi standing in the living room. “No hugs for you yet.”

Suga made a soft whining sound, letting go of me while he closed the door behind Asahi. “You’re so bossy. It’s Tadashi’s first time joining us!”

“That is true.” The captain grinned, motioning me to follow. I quickly removed my shoes, following Asahi as he and the other two third-years led me toward one of the back rooms of Suga’s house.

As soon as he opened the door, all of the commotion spilled out into the hall. I was shocked that just four guys could make so much noise. Then again, three of them were Hinata, Tanaka, and Nishinoya. They were all huddled together at the end of a large unfolded sofa bed, and Kageyama was in the middle of them, thumbs moving frantically over a game controller while they all stared and shouted at him and the television. I chuckled softly while Asahi went to put our bags in the closet.

“Guys, look who’s here!” Sugawara cheered, softly pushing me toward the bed.

Hinata was the first to look up. “Yamaguchi!” He hopped off of the bed, immediately hugging me. “Heh; you showed up! You didn’t bring Tsukishima?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Just suggesting that Tsukishima would at one of these things sounded like a joke. Hinata rolled his eyes, but giggled and pulled me toward the bed. The others suddenly let out a collective whine, Kageyama handing over the controller.

“That was the last one?” Suga asked, grinning slightly. “You’ve been at it for a while; you didn’t try to go farming lives, did you?”

“Not this time.” Kageyama pouted, crossing his arms. “I still can’t believe you actually got through 5 worlds before we got here.”

“Well, I did have time to practice. How far did you get again?”

“The third boss killed me.” He seemed so antsy, and he stared with slightly narrowed eyes as Suga tapped his chin.

“Hm… That’s eight acts, but you didn’t beat the third boss. How about… eight and a half minutes?”

Kageyama cringed slightly, and Nishinoya and Tanaka reassuringly pat his shoulders.

“Oh, but wait; you lost the coin toss earlier.” Suga’s calm smile suddenly seemed wicked. “Double or nothing, wasn’t it?” He giggled as all three guys flinched. “That’s 17 minutes; I know you’re iffy with math.”

“That’s going to have to wait.” Daichi chuckled, resting one hand on Suga’s arm. The third year pouted while Kageyama relaxed completely. I looked between them, keeping quiet and just being curious.

“Lucky…” Sugawara snickered toward his nervous junior.

“Come on now, you can’t have forgotten already.” Daichi wrapped his arm around the setter’s sides, poking his stomach and pointing toward me. “We’ve got a new face here.”

“That’s right! Tadashi, c’mere.”

I blinked; everyone was suddenly looking at me. Asahi pat my back lightly while Hinata gave me a slightly more urgent push. I stood up, stepping toward them.

“Alright, kouhai.” Suga smiled brightly. “How would you like to earn your wings?”

“Uh, wings?” I asked curiously.

“Yep! Um, where…” Daichi let go of him, stepping over to the television cabinet and pulling a box off one of the shelves. “Right, thanks.” Suga accepted the box and opened it, revealing a small pile of keychains and all the materials needed to make them. The trinkets were black feathers made with strips of leather layered, cut to shape, and sewn together with bright orange thread and the name ‘Karasuno’ embroidered with waterproof fabric in the same color.

“Wow…” I mumbled. “You made these?”

“Gotta do something with my sewing machine, after all, right?” Suga smirked. “If you go through a little initiation for us, you’ll get one of these, and eternal bragging rights. Plus, you’ll get to be let in on all the best secrets during these sessions.” He handed the box back to Daichi, resting his hands on his hips. “Now then, let’s see if we can’t find you something to do.”

Suga went into the closet where Asahi had placed our bags, dragging a somewhat large old toy chest behind him as he returned. “Are those your pajamas?” he asked offhandedly, kneeling to open it.

“Uh, yeah.” I answered, glancing down at my checkered flannel pants. Asahi and I had gotten looks on the bus for being in our pajamas, of course.

“I see…” he pulled a composition book out of the chest, flipping through its pages. “Captain, get over here.”

I watched the two of them look over the book, moving to sit back on the bed with the others.

Asahi tugged the hem of my hoodie. “You might want to take this off. Just saying.”

The others nodded, Nishinoya and Tanaka snickering conspiringly.

I admit I may have blushed a bit. “What’s going on?” I asked as I unzipped the jacket and pulled it off, tying it around my waist. The t-shirt I had worn under it was printed with a few stars.

I heard Noya snicker, and the bed dipped behind me. “That depends…” He said playfully, and a loud squeak left my mouth when he dragged his nails up my spine. He laughed brightly, slapping my shoulder. “Oh, you are in for it, Yamaguchi. We’re here for ya!”

I glared at him, unable to keep from smiling as I reached over to squeeze his side. He laughed lightly, grabbing at my wrist and lunging to push me back onto the bed.

“I know you wouldn’t know this:” he giggled, his fingers wiggling against my sides and making me squirm. “But it’s a little early to be starting a war with your senpais.”

I bit my lip and snickered, a little silly considering he already knew I was ticklish. I had a feeling I wouldn’t survive a tickle war with Nishinoya anyway. Or Tanaka, for that matter.

“Suga, you can’t be serious!” Daichi suddenly shouted, and everyone’s eyes were on the two co-captains.

“Aw, c’mon, Daichi; have some faith in our little teammate.”

They looked over at us, and the captain walked over, lifting me up and resting a flat palm on my head. “Look at this one. You know him, Koushi. You think he can handle that?!”

“If I can handle it—”

“Sugar, you’re an insatiable monster. Everyone knows that.”

“Details…”

“What exactly are you guys arguing about?” Asahi called, and the others gathered around us on the edge of the bed.

“Our little junkie over here is trying to put Yamaguchi in the Stock Cycle.”

I flinched as Asahi, Tanaka, and Nishinoya gasped and stared in shock. Kageyama and Hinata seemed just as lost as I did.

“Seriously?!” Asahi asked. “Tadashi in the Stock Cycle? You’re joking.”

“We don’t even know if he can handle the normal stuff we do!” Tanaka interjected.

“All the more reason to put him in. When birds learn to fly, they jump from the highest part of the nest, right?”

“Suga, that doesn’t make sense…” Asahi huffed.

“Um, what is the Stock Cycle?” I asked softly.

“Yeah, I wanna know too!” Hinata asked excitedly. “Sounds tough if it’s got you guys scared.” He lightly nudged the second-years, giggling.

“It’s listed in the book as a penalty scenario.” Daichi explained. “A few of us have gone through it before, but we don’t use it much.”

“You guys used it on me all the time.” Sugawara smirked.

The captain rolled his eyes. “Well, you’re a special case. Anyway, the cycle goes—”

“It’d be easier to show you!” The older setter insisted, jogging back into the closet. “Someone be a dear and get the chair!”

Daichi sighed, going over to the large reclining chair in the corner of the room and pushing it close to the foot of the bed. “I still don’t know about this!”

“You haven’t said no yet, either,  _Captain_.” Suga seemed so different outside of practice. The bite of sarcasm and taunting in his tone was something I’d expect from Kei. Maybe Kageyama on a bad day.

He suddenly appeared out of the closet, hefting something made of wood—and somewhat heavy-looking—onto his shoulder. A hinged wooden board with holes cut into it and a pair of legs to stand on.

It finally clicked as he set it down at the foot of the bed facing the chair: The Stock Cycle.

“S-So…” I murmured, sounding more nervous than I wanted to. “You just have those around, Suga-senpai?” I attempted to tease him.

“Yeah.” He smiled proudly, taking it in stride. “For smart-mouths like you.” He poked my ribs, leaning with one hand on the stocks. “We’re gonna put you in this chair and put your little feet through their paces. If you can take it, we’ll say you’re in. What do you think, Tadashi? You up for it?”

“Well, uh…”

“You can say no if you want to…” Nishinoya whispered behind me.

The older setter sighed, his face becoming the slightest bit serious. “Yamaguchi, listen.” He stepped a bit closer and rested his hands on my shoulders. “You’re our pinch server, right? We’re going to be calling on you when things get really rough for us. You have to be able to take on some of the greatest pressures sometimes, and you have to believe you can. Think of this as just a test for that.”

“This is nothing like that!” I argued, laughing a bit.

“You’re good.” He giggled. “I like that. Seriously though, we need an answer.”

I looked between every face in the room before looking at the stocks and the chair.

“I think I can handle it.” I smiled, and the others cheered, ruffling my hair and pawing my back. Sugawara smiled stunningly, stepping back and leaning over to turn the key set inside the padlock holding the stocks closed. He lifted them open, and Daichi pat the pillow set in the seat of the recliner.

From where I sat, it was a little foreboding, but I had already agreed; I might as well get it over with. I was trusting them, after all. I moved the pillow as I sat down, letting it rest in my lap while I lifted my ankles up into the open holes. The sound of the padlock clicking shut again made me shiver and hug the pillow nervously.

My feet faced the bed, and the others moved to sit a bit closer to me again. My toes curled a bit in my dark blue socks, and I squeaked quietly when Asahi traced patterns on one of my soles first.

“What are we starting with?” he asked, switching to wiggling his fingers against the center of my foot while I bit my lip.

“Well, it is his first run.” Daichi chuckled while Noya and Tanaka were quick to poke and tease around my toes. “We’ve got to at least be a little lenient.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Kageyama asked. “I thought initiation was supposed to be the worst thing you go through.”  He flinched slightly at the sideways look Daichi cast him.

“…Yeah. I am. Give him hell, you guys.” The captain grinned, and it finally hit home that I was at their mercy. The 15 fingers playing with my feet suddenly turned into 50 fingers attacking. Daichi was leaning on the side of the chair while Suga was dragging the toy chest closer to the group.

Meanwhile, I was losing it, jumping from quiet giggles to loud laughter in an instant. I hugged the pillow tightly and pulled my legs, only sinking myself in the chair since the stocks weren’t moving so easily.

“It’s not proper to slouch in your chair, kouhai.” Suga teased while Daichi slipped his hands under my arms and lifted me back up, straightening my legs while Sugawara tied a cord around my ankles and two more above and below my knees. Everything suddenly stopped when Daichi sneakily tickled my armpits and I shrieked and curled away from him. I was giggling goofily, keeping a tight hold on the pillow while the others smiled brightly.

Suga elbowed Daichi’s side lightly. “Hey, you, no jumping the cycle.” He chuckled, going back to the chest and opening it. The others started to pick up again, though they were only tracing and scratching lightly, their focus was on whatever was being pulled out of the chest. I couldn’t see it yet, since it was turned away from me; and also because I had the pillow pressed to my forehead and it covered my eyes.

“We’re moving on, Yamaguchi.” Asahi called to me while I recovered from my giggles. I pulled the pillow away to look at them. They all waved like I had returned from a trip or something when they could see my eyes, and I blushed faintly, rolling my eyes. Or at least I would have rolled my eyes if I didn’t catch sight of the feather dusters they were holding. I looked between all of them, my toes curling nervously as I smiled slightly.

“Think you can keep going, tough guy?” Tanaka asked while Hinata tried to get one of my socks off.

“Uh…” I murmured, squeaking and giggling as Daichi brushed my ear and the side of my face with his feathers.

“He kind of has to keep it up.” The captain teased, pushing my chin with his thumb to get the duster to my neck. “That or he can give up his initiation.”

I pawed at Daichi’s hand—the one holding my chin—and I was already giggling uncontrollably, making it harder to focus on gripping my socks with my toes. A soft squeal broke out of my chest as I felt them scribble their fingers on my soles until my toes relaxed and they could get my socks away. I admit I hadn’t really been tickled with feathers before; they were so soft and fluffy, and they made my nerves tingle; and I was giggling like a fool, burying my face in the pillow again.

“It isn’t exactly smart to resist during your initiation, Tadashi.” Suga teased, kneeling beside the chair and lifting the side of my shirt. I yelped and laughed as a bushel of feathers was shoved against my side. The feathers’ tips lapped at the edge of my stomach, and I rattled the stocks as I tried to curl up a bit. I couldn’t help squealing as the others flossed my toes with feathers and scratched between them with their fingernails. I laughed loudly and tried to struggle again, curling my toes tightly around the feathers and managing to block their fingers out.

“I’m getting the feeling he likes being difficult.” Nishinoya giggled, moving to dig through the chest. I couldn’t tell what he was doing, since I was lost in helpless laughter, but after a moment, I could feel the tickles on my feet let up a bit while his and Hinata’s small hands forced my toes back up. Three lines of soft yarn, one around both of my big toes and one around each of my smallest toes.

“Heh. Not bad, Noya.” Suga giggled, moving to the chest as well. “Good timing, too; let’s get to the next part of the cycle.” He rifled around inside it while I panted and giggled into the pillow, watching them through one eye. Asahi moved to kneel on my other side, and Daichi looked down at Suga, leaning to help him with some things in the chest.

“You’re kind of cute when you laugh, Yamaguchi.” The ace smiled slightly, and if my face hadn’t been so red from laughing, he probably would have seen me blushing. He motioned with his hand, and I leaned close to him. “Don’t let Sugar’s sweet talk fool you; he’s not going to like the competition.” He whispered with a smirk.

I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. He giggled softly.

“Alright!” Daichi called, his hands both filled with the handles of hairbrushes and toothbrushes between his fingers. “We’re starting, guys, pick your favorites.” He offered the handles to everyone, and the brushes were quickly distributed.

Unlike feathers, I definitely had experience with brushes. And while that’s a story for another day, I hadn’t been under a wire brush before, or one with such soft plastic bristles as the one Asahi had chosen to take. I cringed nervously, giggling again, but now I couldn’t even curl my toes.

“You’re holding up pretty well.” Daichi smiled, now empty-handed aside from his feather duster and a makeup brush as he stood beside me again.

“Be glad we’re going easy on you here.” Suga taunted with a wink, wrapping an arm around my shins. I could feel brush bristles pressing on the back of my knee through my pajama pants. “Next time you’re in these stocks, it won’t be so fun.”

They started without much of a warning this time; brushes and feathers attacking like mad. There were toothbrushes between my toes, that hairbrush on my knees, another brush—with surprisingly soft bristles—being used on my stomach; the makeup brush teasing my neck, and feathers catching alongside them. I think I was tearing up by then, squealing with laughter and keeping my face buried in the pillow.

I wasn’t sure what to think anymore; it was that insane. I know I had yet to ask them to stop, and at first, that was because I didn’t want to wuss out of my initiation; by now, I wasn’t sure. This was starting to become kind of fun. There was a thrill to it that I hadn’t been expecting, but that I quickly falling in love with.

“What do you think, Suga-senpai?” I could hear Hinata’s voice through my clouded, giggly mind. My skin was tingly with the aftereffect of all that brushing.

“One last thing. If he can handle it, he’s in the clear.” Suga answered.

There was that rummaging sound again, but I was resting my face in the pillow and panting heavily. I almost made myself dizzy trying to breathe through it like that. The next sound was what got to me: Buzzing. A sudden, very jarring buzzing sound that I recognized instantly.

“Oh, man…” I murmured, daring to look up at the others as they finished accepting their final tools.

It was suddenly so confusing. Everyone all seemed to be armed to the teeth. Fingers; feathers; brushes; electric toothbrushes; all at once, too. I couldn’t even try to curl my toes.

“You scared yet, tough guy?” Tanaka taunted, buzzing a toothbrush so close to my sole, I could feel the air vibrate. I flinched immediately, starting to giggle again and trying to squirm. I wondered if Suga would mind later if I kept this pillow; with how tight I was holding it, it’d been somewhat disfigured.

Letting my mind wander like that was my downfall, and I was practically screaming when they all ambushed me. The stocks rattled again as I moved my ankles, though there wasn’t much I could do beside the slight motions. The spinning brushes slipped up and down my soles, being placed in the slightly opened spaces between my two smallest toes on both feet. Asahi was beside me, holding my shirt up while he pressed one of the electric toothbrushes against my bellybutton. Daichi, of course, took advantage of my exposed midriff to shove his feather duster against my spine. By then I was a squealing, cackling mess, my hands pawing at Asahi’s arms while tears ran down my face and blurred my vision. Brushes were still scrubbing my soles, and I felt fingers scribbling on my knees and on my ribs from behind me.

I didn’t even notice when they finally stopped. I had no concept of what time it was, or even how long I’d been in that chair. I was giggling uncontrollably from my tingling skin, barely even registering that someone was unlocking the stocks. Someone else undid all the knotted cord on my legs, and my ankles were lifted out and placed on the unfolded footrest on the recliner. I wiggled my toes a bit, finally realizing they weren’t tied up anymore. I glanced around, and I found the others putting their tools back into the toy chest. Suga set the stocks behind the chair, reaching over to ruffle my hair.

“Not bad, kouhai!” he cheered, sneaking another tickle under my chin. “The Stock Cycle’s broken tougher birds than you! In less time too. You’re quite the Rough Crow.” He smiled, holding out his other hand. One of the keychains from earlier dangled from his finger; he playfully swung it in a loop before setting it in one of my hands.

“Now then.” Daichi continued in his place while the others gathered back on the bed. “It’s club tradition that whoever passes initiation gets to pick who gets tickled next for the night.”

“I can pick anyone?” I asked softly, sitting up just a bit.

“Well, anyone that’s here, obviously—”

“You.” I said almost immediately, smiling slightly up at the captain. I admit I was just curious. He always seemed so tough and level-headed.

“W-What? Me?” He blinked curiously

“Ooh~! He’s calling you out, Captain!” Asahi called teasingly, earning a glare over Daichi’s shoulder.

“And what about you, huh?” The captain challenged, stepping close to our ace with wiggling fingers and a smirk. “You haven’t gotten a penalty in a while; I think you’re overdue for some attention, Asahi.”

“H-Hey, no fair! He picked you!”

And that’s how I unintentionally started a war. Hinata and Tanaka tried tickling Daichi, though he barely reacted above a chuckle and the odd flinch or two. Asahi, on the other hand, was definitely responsive. With four pairs of hands—including Daichi, even—grabbing at his sides and tickling mercilessly, I wasn’t surprised by how much he was laughing.

What surprised me was how much he was flailing. It was a bit frightening, honestly; everyone was laughing with him and making jokes as the other two third-years tried to pin him down. Hinata and Tanaka tried to help as well, grabbing Asahi’s wrists, but failing to hold onto them when Noya attacked under his arms. I giggled quietly, finally getting out of the recliner and onto the bed with them; it was really strong for a sofa bed, though by now, I was pretty sure I could hear the mattress springs crying out. I moved to sit beside Noya and Suga behind Asahi, pushing against him gently and combing my nails down his back. He screeched and flinched away from me harder than I expected.

What happened next is kind of a blur. My face was hurting all of a sudden, and my hand was over my nose. Everyone was shouting; I could hear Asahi apologizing a million times per second; and I snapped back to reality when I heard Kageyama mention blood. Suga’s hands were on my shoulders, his face suddenly panicked and somewhat parent-like. I’ve fallen out of a tree and my mom didn’t look so scared.

“I-I’m fine; I’m fine.” I remember insisting, keeping my hand over my face to keep from getting blood on anything. “Really—Ow.” I winced as Suga pulled at my wrists, jarring my nose a bit. I’d broken it before—falling out of that aforementioned tree—so I could tell it wasn’t serious; but it still stung like crazy, especially when I put pressure on it. Before I could say anything else, Suga was dragging me by my other arm; I couldn’t help flinching when the kitchen tile was suddenly under my bare feet. He practically lifted me up to sit on the counter himself when I wasn’t moving fast enough, and immediately after, he pulled a first aid kit from under the sink, pulling several tissues out of the small packet to press under my hand. I had always pictured Suga as the worried mother bird, but this was just silly.

“Are you sure you’re okay…?” he asked for about the tenth time. I rolled my eyes, giggling and pretending I didn’t know the others were waiting in the living room like I was dying or something.

“I’m fine, senpai.” I sighed, my voice congested from the tissue pressed into my face and the snack bag filled with ice pressed to the bridge of my nose. “Can I sit here for a while?”

He nodded, patting my leg. “As long as you need to. In the meantime…”  It was like flipping a switch; that devious look in his eyes was back. “Hey, Kageyama~ I believe we have a bet to settle, kouhai!”

I could hear someone running and the others laughing as they gave chase. I chuckled, looking up at the ceiling.

“I can see you over there.” I snickered, just barely catching Asahi in my peripheral.

I heard him chuckle, but he didn’t move.

“I’m not on my deathbed, y’know. And nosebleeds aren’t contagious.”

“Alright, alright…” he finally took the hint and walked over, seeming even more sheepish than usual. “It’s not bad?”

“Of course not.” I smiled. “I think it’s stopping anyway. It just stings.” I cringed. “A-A lot.”

Asahi rubbed my back gently. “I’m really sorry, Yamaguchi.”

“I kind of got that earlier; you said it quite a lot.”

He chuckled, leaning back on the counter. “Would you believe this has happened before?” he asked softly.

“Seriously?” Honestly, I could believe it, considering how quick Suga was to handle it.

“Yep. To Daichi even.” Asahi giggled. “Last year, I elbowed him in the face too.”

I laughed brightly, or I would have if it didn’t hurt to. “Daichi? Really?!”

He nodded. “I’m kind of a hazard when I get tickled. Heh. I was so scared I’d actually hurt him, the others said I needed more help than he did just to calm down.”

I smiled, pulling the tissues away when the bleeding finally stopped and keeping my hand on the ice pack. “Sounds like quite a party.”

“Yeah, it was… Our last captain said there even used to be a secret code phrase that teammates would use during school just for kicks.”

“Do you remember it?” I asked, probably sounding more curious than I wanted him to realize.

“It’s something about crows and feathers. Actually, Suga called you a Rough Crow earlier. It’s something like that.” He gave my shoulder a soft nudge. “You ready yet? If we hurry, we can watch Suga try to kill Kageyama.”

I giggled again, climbing down from the counter and following him. “Okay, but don’t expect me to get involved yet.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” The ace smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, walking with me.

 +++++++++++++++++++

When Monday came around, I admit that I ran up to Tsukki while he was kneeling beside his gym bag in the club room after practice.

“You seemed happy today.” He muttered before I could say anything. “Did you get to go to Suga’s place?”

I nodded quickly, a smile stuck on my face. “It was pretty fun.” I admitted. “Here, look at this!” I showed him my own gym bag, flicking the zipper where I had attached the keychain.

He chuckled, standing up and adjusting his headphones. “Nice tag there.”

“Yeah, they even said I was a real Rough Crow.”

“Well, of course you are.” He smirked, pulling out his house keys to show me the familiar trinket hanging from it. “‘Rough Crows Have Soft Feathers’, after all.”

I blinked. “H-How do you know th—” He started to walk off without me, smirking and chuckling under his breath. “Tsukki!”

I was glad to know that Tsukishima hadn’t changed at all since we were younger.

**Author's Note:**

> *Originally written in 2016


End file.
